Live on TV3 Palm Springs

by Bill Evans

  “Stewart, thank you. I can’t tell you how much—” Lisa stumbled over her words. “I can’t tell you how much I—” Stewart interrupted her attempt at saying something he wasn’t ready to hear by placing his lips on hers. The kiss was soft, and Lisa melted in his arms. It was the most passionate conversation ever spoken without words.

  Nothing was said about Kristen. The purchase of the condo and the new furnishings had eliminated Lisa’s worry. There wasn’t an issue anymore. Maybe I’m a prostitute, she would think to herself later that night. It didn’t matter. She thought of herself as a survivor. Lisa was going to live very nicely and as comfortably as possible. That was the lesson she learned from watching her father in business. She knew her looks, sex appeal, and her education made for a smart business combination, if used properly.

  Stewart felt things he’d never felt before for anyone. He had been with many women—maybe hundreds; wealth had its privileges. Something was different with Lisa.

  Dugan finally called the two to dinner. He served beef Wellington and it was outstanding. Lisa and Stewart talked and laughed throughout the evening. It was like a perfect date. Stewart wanted to know about Lisa’s career plans. He knew that this was one area he could continue to help and support her. He wanted to do everything possible to keep her happy. Giving her things was the one thing he equated to love. He hoped she felt that as well.

  “So, tell me about work. You still want to be the next host of Good Morning America?”

  “Well, I took your advice and have decided I want to go into sales. After talking to you and hearing that this is where the money and opportunities are, that is where I want to be. Maybe that’ll position me to be a general manager someday.”

  Stewart smiled, pleased that Lisa listened to his advice and even took direction. “Have you done anything to make that happen?”

  “I spoke to Ross Mitchell, the local sales manager. I let him know that I wanted to be considered the next time he had an opportunity.”

  “That’s a start. Let me ask you, what’s your take on Ross? Let me be blunt: Is he gay?” That question came out of nowhere, as if Stewart knew that Lisa knew something.

  Lisa was stunned. Maybe Stewart actually knew that Ross was, at the very least, a switch-hitter, or maybe the owner was just guessing.

  “I don’t know,” Lisa smirked.

  “Well, don’t be afraid to play whatever card you need to in order to make things happen for yourself. Business is hard, and you have to fight for what you want.”

  Lisa felt as though Stewart was telling her that he not only knew Ross was gay but also knew she knew, and he was giving her permission to use that information to her advantage. The unspoken words spoke volumes to her.

  How does Stewart know that I know about Ross? The thought lingered.

  Lisa spent the night with Stewart. This was something that would become a regular thing whenever Stewart came to the desert. Her work didn’t require her to be in the station until two in the afternoon, so she could sleep in, have breakfast with Stewart, and then go back to her place to get ready for work. It was a lifestyle that she could get very used to.

  ***

  Blake Summer returned to Palm Springs to begin her morning anchoring job on TV3. Jack and Blake never spoke about her audition for the job. Jack never made another pass at Blake, even though she hoped he would. Not because she wanted a relationship but because she already understood leverage. There seemed to be a movement going on in colleges around the country. Graduates were very quick to pass on their knowledge of what really got someone ahead in the business world, and for beautiful young ladies who wanted to play that card, sex was a big advantage. The word was spreading to play that card whenever it gave an advantage and not be shy about it. For Blake, it happened during her interview process and it got her the job.

  Blake was another looker. She had short, dark hair and a perfect shape—not over-the-top like some. Tanned, almost golden skin, perfectly smooth and no blemishes, making her another strong hire. Looks counted in TV news, especially for women. John Miller knew after meeting her that he would have to let the owner know the station had another scholarship candidate.

  Stewart had joked with John about his scholarship program and what it really was when he hired his new general manager. John had also been tipped off by his predecessor. What John didn’t know was that Stewart’s scholarship days might be over, at least with people inside the station, where Lisa worked.

  ***

  Blake joined Bob Warren on the morning show. They had instant chemistry and made for an attractive pair. The third morning team member was David Jackson, the weatherman. David had been at the station four years. He had become a local favorite because of his wacky sense of humor. He also had a knack for doing very strong community interest stories, often live during the morning show. People loved tuning in to see what their morning weather was going to do next.

  It was a challenge making the weather report interesting in Palm Springs. It was a golf mecca because its temperature and sunshine were perfect ten and half months a year. About the only weather news was when summer temperatures hit 110-plus degrees. But it was a dry heat. That was the running joke by desert dwellers. Once the temperature reached 105, who cared anymore?

  The morning team worked extremely well together right from the start. This only strengthened the ratings for the already dominant ABC station. The NBC station across town couldn’t compete on any level. The owners of the NBC station were longtime desert people. Not the greatest television owners because they wanted to manage the station they owned. One example: In the late Eighties, this NBC station was running old, black-and-white Westerns in the 3 to 5 afternoon time periods. The ABC competitor ran Phil Donohue and Oprah. For the most part, that meant that no one watched the NBC station. The NBC station scheduled the black-and-white movies because the owner was into them. This proved that, at least in this case, the owners should not have been involved in day-to-day management.

  Tom Preston had noticed Blake Summer immediately. Twice married and twice divorced, Tom was more than ten years her senior, but that was perfect for him, at least in his mind. He preyed on the young talent, offering to mentor them and help develop their young careers.

  Blake wasn’t surprised to get a call from the popular anchor after her first day. She had been warned about Tom Preston’s proclivities. Blake was used to getting hit on by just about everyone. Sometimes she encouraged it. She could always use another mentor. After all, she had her sights set on being his co-anchor on the evening shows.

  It might take her a while, but she was a big believer in writing her goals down and setting a timetable for achieving those goals. On Blake’s list was main anchor within 2 years. The timetable would be challenging, but Tom Preston was providing her with a possible jump-start.

  “Blake Summer? I’m Tom Preston. We haven’t met yet, but I wanted to introduce myself and welcome you to the TV3 family.”

  “You wanted to introduce yourself. Are you the official welcoming committee?” Blake’s attitude surprised the experienced anchor. He wasn’t used to so much attitude, especially from someone with so little experience. It was sexy.

  “So, what can I do for you, Tom Preston the anchorman?”

  “I just wanted to introduce myself and offer to help you in any way I can.”

  “Are you sure you just don’t want to get into my pants?” Blake was good at playing the game. She knew what she was doing and that her abrasiveness would turn Tom on. He was now playing her game, although he thought it was his game.

  “I’ll talk to you later. I hope you have a real good day.” Tom hung up, floored. That gal’s gonna go far, he thought. Blake thought she might have blown it in her first conversation with the main anchor. This wasn’t how she envisioned it going. Maybe he had some game of his own, or perhaps he was simply a coward when a beautiful girl stood up to him. Maybe she scared him.

  ***

  Following her night with Stewart, L
isa went into work early to catch Ross Mitchell. Ross had been avoiding her since their first meeting. The sales manager thought she might be trouble. Little did he know how much trouble she could be, but he was about to find out.

  “Lisa, come in.”

  Lisa entered and shut the door behind her.

  “This must be serious if you have to shut the door,” Ross said.

  “Ross, I want to be in sales and you need to make that happen. I want some key accounts to help me get started.” Ross was flabbergasted by the young woman’s assertiveness. Newspeople are pushy, he thought. Lisa spoke with a confidence that Ross couldn’t understand. Yes, he had avoided her, but he hadn’t really done anything to warrant the attitude he was getting.

  “Lisa, you don’t have any sales experience. You have only worked here two years or so. You’ve done some good things on air. Hell, you’re doing a really great job for this station. You should have been the new morning show anchor. Tell me again, why do you want to be in sales?” Ross looked directly at Lisa. He wanted her to know he wasn’t intimidated by her.

  “Ross, for the record, I’ve been here a year and a half. I want to sell advertising for this station. And if I’m being one hundred percent honest with you, I want your job. But I’m willing to work hard to get that over the next three or four years.” Lisa laughed. “You need to find a place on your sales staff for me. I will be the best salesperson you’ve ever had.”

  Never had anyone confronted him like this about wanting a sales position. He selected his words very carefully, sensing Lisa might be more trouble than he wanted to deal with. He couldn’t put a finger on it.

  “I don’t have an opening, Lisa. I told you, when the next spot opens, you’ll get the shot. You will be my first interview. I promised that to you, remember?”

  Lisa cleared her throat.

  Ross was uncomfortable with the way the reporter was addressing him. He had no idea how uncomfortable he was about to become.

  “Here’s the deal. The night of Kristen’s going-away party, I saw you giving that deejay a blow job in his office. Unless you want everyone to know that you suck dick, you will find a spot on your sales team for me. And you’ll do it pretty quickly.”

  All the blood drained out of Ross’s head. He turned white as a ghost and sat in silence, dumbfounded.

  “Ross, you have thirty days to make this happen.” Lisa got up and put a little present on his desk. She walked out and shut the door behind her so he could recoup.

  Ross was afraid to open the small, giftwrapped box. He took the ribbon from the package, unwrapping the paper with a single motion. He almost laughed, but at the same time what he saw scared the shit out of him. It was a thirty-day calendar. No month on the calendar, just thirty individual pages, one for every day—starting today.

  11

  SONNY BONO MOVED to Palm Springs to open a restaurant and tennis club. During the first couple years, he got very frustrated with how the city council did their business. Sonny was a Hollywood star and a strong personality. He had stayed rather low-key, until his fight over the sign at his restaurant put him over the top. Sonny wanted a sign with a design and colors that were not compliant with the city ordinance. It was at that point, at that very moment, that Bono decided to not only fight city hall but also to run for mayor of his new city. He was going to make the city more business friendly.

  The idea of Sonny Bono being mayor of Palm Springs was becoming fodder for the late-night TV shows on a national level. Jay Leno followed Bono’s entry into politics because Palm Springs was so close to Los Angeles. Letterman picked up on it because of Leno. Late-late-night TV shows all did material on Bono.

  Sonny was running against eight other candidates. The race was Sonny against everyone else. There wasn’t a clear front-runner against him. The power players in Palm Springs didn’t really care who won as long as Sonny didn’t win. At least, that was the public perception.

  Steve Draper, the national sales manager, had a brilliant idea. He walked into John Miller’s office.

  “John, let’s televise a debate for the Palm Springs mayor’s race.”

  “What are you talking about? There are nine candidates. We can’t televise a debate with nine candidates. When would we air it?” John was proving to be a very aggressive general manager and loved pushing the performance envelope whenever possible. He constantly challenged his staff to do things they had never done. John thought it was great that his national sales manager was taking some initiative for a new project. He didn’t want to shoot it down, but he needed to make sure that Draper had thought this through.

  “Have you given this any real thought?” John asked.

  “Actually, I have. I’ve written out a simple business plan.” Steve handed his general manager a three-page outline. “The Palm Springs mayor’s race is the biggest local politics we’ve had in a very long time. Nothing is bigger. And we have Sonny Bono.”

  “Again, when would we air this?” repeated the GM.

  “My idea is to air this the Thursday night before the Tuesday election. It’s the perfect night. ABC sucks on Thursday night, so anything we preempt will be an improvement as far as what we show from the network. Our sponsors will eat this up. My idea is that we can do it commercial-free, except we would have three half-hour sponsors with no other commercial content.”

  “What about where we do the debate from? Our studio isn’t big enough,” John said.

  “We can sell this to a location. We would use one of the downtown hotels where we can get an audience. People will love this.” Steve had a surprisingly good outline for pulling this off.

  “Steve, I’ll look at this very carefully. We don’t have a lot of time. The election is in four weeks.”

  “We have enough time to pull this off as long as you give us a thumbs-up in the next day or two.” The national sales manager’s enthusiasm was nice to see.

  “I like the idea. I’ll let you know.”

  Draper walked down the hall to his office, where his intercom was ringing.

  “This is Steve,” he said into the mouthpiece.

  “Steve, I like this idea, so let’s do it. You put it together. This is your project. You’ll need an outside organization as the presenting sponsor. Look at one of the service clubs. Keep me informed. I will talk to Jack and get news involved. They will handle the format and all the talent.”

  For the next four weeks, this would become a focused station project. Every department’s involvement would be required to pull this off successfully. The first thing to do was get the candidates to agree to the debate. If Steve got Sonny to agree first, the others would participate.

  Steve pulled into the parking lot of Bit of Country, a breakfast and lunch diner. Greg McDonald was already sitting inside. Greg had become Steve’s friend over the past several years. Greg was a promoter of everything and anything that had the chance to make him a dollar.

  Growing up, Greg was an air conditioner repairman when he was spotted by Colonel Tom Parker. Yes, Colonel Tom, Elvis Presley’s manager. The Colonel took a liking to Greg and took him under his wing, and that is how Greg McDonald ended up in the entertainment business.

  Greg became a friend of Sonny Bono because of the similar Hollywood connections. He was managing Sonny’s new political campaign, so he was key to getting Sonny on board with the debate.

  “Steve it’s good to see you. You want some coffee?” Greg was always happy.

  Steve Draper scooted into the booth. Greg was a big guy, and his stomach had pushed the table closer to Steve’s side, making it a little awkward for Steve to get in.

  “No coffee for me. I’ll have a Diet Coke. So, how is your new life in politics?”

  Greg laughed. He didn’t take anything too seriously anymore. He was a promoter of the oldie-but-goodie record collections playing on television stations across the country. He was promoting some local concerts and managing Ricky Nelson’s estate, but his biggest job at this particular moment in time was
overseeing Sonny Bono’s run. Greg told everyone that managing Sonny’s campaign for mayor was the biggest thing he ever did, and that is what Sonny wanted to hear.

  “Greg, we’ve got an idea at the station to put on a debate with all the mayor candidates and televise it live. Do you think Sonny would participate?” The national sales manager sipped from his straw.

  “A live debate, really?” Greg started laughing. He had a big laugh, and people in the little diner took notice. “That’s funny.”

  “Why is that funny?” Steve asked, already knowing the answer.

  “Steve, you and I both know that Sonny is a loose cannon, and you get him live in front of a microphone, you never know what he is going to say. Especially if someone pushes his buttons. You know this. I got to admit, though, that this might make some great television.”

  Both laughed. Greg was right, and that was what made the idea of a live debate so intriguing.

  “Gee, I hadn’t thought about that,” the sales manager smirked.

  Greg laughed again. “Yea, right. I think you know exactly what you’re doing. This might be fun. I’ll get Sonny to do it.”

  The two ordered breakfast and spent the better part of the morning laughing. If Greg said he’d get Sonny to participate, then that was good as gold. And if Sonny participated, the rest of the cast of characters running had no choice.

  Over the next couple of weeks, the mayor’s race heated up. The Desert Sun loved covering anything Sonny Bono did because they were always assured of some good quotes. The TV station cleverly asked the newspaper to participate in the debate process by providing some of the questions. This gave the station and the debate even more publicity. Ed Kibbey, a longtime radio and television newsman, was selected to be the anchor for the debate. Ed was old school and he wasn’t impressed with Hollywood types trying to get into local politics. He was also known for his local weekly commentaries that often rubbed people the wrong way. Ed was the perfect local newsperson to host the debate.